Suction cleaner agitator



Jim1-7,1933. SHANK 1,894,361

SUCTION CLEANER AGITATOR Filed Nv. 22. 1929 ffy 3 S" PATENT CHARLES IT... SK, 0F NORTH CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HOOV COMP,

r A CORPORATON OF OH'EO SUCTION CLEANER AGITATOR Application filed November a2, 1929. Serial No. 408,959.

This invention relates to improvements in suction cleaners and more specifically to rotors or agitators for suction cleaners and has for its object the provision of an agitator for suction cleaners having superior agitating qualities.

A further object is to provide an agitator for suction cleanerscontaining in its structure means for the positive agitation and deflection of a carpet pile or nap in two or more directions. ,5 A. still further object of the invention is to provide an 'agitator which will ermit the cleaning air currents to have unhindered access to the point at which the agitation and pile deection takes place.

@ther objects of my invention will appear in the description following and in the appended claims.

ln the operation of a suction cleaner of a well known type the floor covering undergoing cleaning is lifted through the reduced pressure within the nozzle from the floor and contacts against the nozzle lips at the front and rear of the nozzle mouth. The rotor or agitator, as it is called, which is located withinthe nozzle contacts the lifted surface covering beween the parallel nozzle lips upon a line therebetween, and, through bein provided with beater barsupon its cylindrlcal surface in the form of projecting elements which eX- tend substantially the length of the agitator, imparts to the surface covering an agitation which may be divided into two components namely: a vibration of the entire displaced covering in a vertical plane which tends to separate the foreign matter therefrom; and a deflecting and bending movement of the pile of the surface covering which further tends to dislod e the foreign matter and also opens up the plle, therebyT admitting the cleaning air. This agitation of the surface covering is inherent, in the operation of the usual rotary agitator provided with a solid beater bar. This is readily understood when it is considered that the suction within the nozzle lifts the surface covering into contact with the cylindrical body of the agitator and that upon the rotation of that member, the projecting beater bar element displaces said covering downwardly each time it contacts therewith and also, as it moves past the point of contact, defleots the upstanding pile of the covering through its sliding contact with the extremities thereof. The deflection of the pile of the surface covering has been heretofore in one direction only, that being the one invwhich it was forced by the surface of the beating bars in their rotation, namely, rearwardly or forwardly relative to the cleaner depending upon the direction of rotation of the agitator. With such agitation it is obvious that if the transverse rows of pile were deflected relative to one another that no relative movement would take place between the tufts of pile of an individual row, the agitation thereby failing to dislodge the dirt particles between the individual tufts. In a cleaner making use of an agitator constructed in accordance with the present invention the components of surface covering agitation which are characteristic of the usual agitator are not only present but the cleaning eiliciency has been increased through the provision of means effecting the agitation of the pile in more than one direction. More specifically in the operation of new and novel construction the vibration of the rug is present, as in the usual agitator, the rearward or forward displacement of the pileof the surface coveringis present, as in the u sual agitator, and deiection of the pile of the surface covering in the direction of the sides of the nozzle is also present. The incorporation of this last element of agitation effects the dislodgment of dirt particles lodged between adjacent tufts of pile in the direction of the agitator length and makes possible their removal thru opening a path for the cleaning air thereto.

A still further advantage of a rotor constructed in accordance with my invention lies in the fact that the cleaning fiow of air is permitted withoutv hindrance to havecontact at the point of agitation, the agitating element being so constructed that air passages are present between the various points of contact of the beater coil with the surface being cleaned.

Referring'now to the accompanying draw- Figure 1 is a side view of an agitator conf structed in accordance with my invention.

Flgure 2 1s a longltudlnal cross section on f the line B-B of Figure 1.

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Figure 3 is a transverse cross section upon l the line A--A of Figure 1.

Figure 4 discloses a modification of the present invention in which the agitating coils are helically disposed on the rotor.

Figure 5 is a transverse cross section on the line Cri-C of Figure 4t showing the relation of the beater coils near the ends of the rotor. l

Figure 6 is a transverse cross section on the line lD-D of Figure 4c, showing the relative positions of the coils near the center of the rotor.

lin actual operation in a suction cleaner the agitator constructed in accordance with the present invention revolves in close proximity to the floor covering. .llhe rst beating coil comes into contact therewith and therindividual coil surfaces extending beyond the `agitator body proper comb through the pile of the covering depressing it to the right or left, depending on the direction in which the coil was wound upon the agitator body. With the agitator equipped with beater bars the next contact with the Hoor covering is made by one of said bars resulting in a depression of the pile in a rearward direction and the vertical downward displacement of the lifted portion of the rug. Upon the second beating coil coming into contact with the covering the pile is deflected in a direction opposite to that caused by the first beating coil as its coils are wound in the opposite direction. rlfhereafter a beater bar makes contact and the cycle is repeated. Illhe general result of this operationkis that the pile is deflected toward each side and toward the front or rear of the cleaner, depending on the direction of rotation of the rotor, and the rug is vertically displaced.7

Referring now to Figures 1 to 3 inclusively, the invention is shown embodied in an agitator having a body 'member denoted bythe reference character 1. Extending longitudinally in the body-member 1 are pairs of grooves 2 and 3, each pair of grooves being connected by a series of passageways l for a purpose hereinafter described and being interrupted between its ends by the pulley 10. lln the embodiment here described the two pairs of grooves are shown extending in parallel relation the length of the rotor, said pairs being spaced one hundred and eighty degrees (180) ciroumferentially. @oils 5 and 6 are threaded through the passageways l throughout the length of the grooves and extend a fixed height above the rotor surface as shown in Figure 2. The coils 5 and 6 differ only in that they are wound in opposite di- Leeaeei rections, that is, the coil'in each pair of grooves is so wound that the direction of angular advance is opposite to that of the coil in the pair of grooves spaced circumferentially therefrom. The necessity of having opposite directions of angular advance is clear for the coil surfaces which contact the surface undergoing cleaning must have opposing slopes in order that the pile may be deflected first to the right and then to the left, or vice versa. Beater bars 7--7 are formed on the surface of the body 1 and are raised a distance above said surface substantially equal to that which the beater coils project therebeyond. As is clear from the figures these beater bars extend helically about the rotor in oposite directions and have common end points substantially. l/Vithin the body 1 is a central longitudinally-extending passageway 8 adapted to receive and house a bearing-support member 9 uponrwhich 'the rotor is supported in a manner forming no part of the present invention.

Referring now to Figures t to 6 inclusive a modification is shown in which the beater ycoils extend in oppositely directed helices around the body of the rotor. Each coil is formed of two sections which are separated by the pulley 10 and the directions of angular advance of the coils are opposite, that is, starting from either endof the rotor, one coil is wound in a clockwise direction through the passageways Il; between the grooves 2 and 3 Whereas the remaining coil is woundin a counter-clockwise direction. Y, lin each pair of grooves the relative positions of grooves 2 and 3 are reversed upon opposite sides of the pulley. This is done in order that the ends of the individual coils may approach each other as closely as practical, it being necessary that groove 2 be of greater width than is necessary for groove 3 in order that the passageways 4f may be formed in the body therebetween. ln an agitator constructed in accordance with this modification the ile of the surface being cleaned is positively eected in the directions of the ends of the rotor` through the pushing actionof the slantingcontacting surfaces of the spiral beaters with reliance being had to the friction between the contacting surfaces and thesurface undergoing cleaning for deection in the third di- MBU therethrough connecting said grooves, and a 330 beating element comprising a spiral coil threaded through said passageways.

3. An agitator for suction cleaners comprising a rotor body having parallel grooves therein, a dividing Wall separating said grooves and having passagevvays therethrough connecting said grooves, a beating coil threaded through said passageways and a beating bar mounted on said rotor body.

4. ln a rotary agitator for suction cleaners a beater comprising a rigid Wire coil, and means supporting said coil at a :tixed distance `from the axis of rotation.

5. lin a rotary agitator for suction cleaners, a beater comprisin a rigid helical wire coil, and means supporting said coil at a xed distance from the axis of rotation.

6. ln a rotary agitator for a suction cleaner a series of rigid agitating elements adapted to simultaneously contact the surface covering undergoing cleaning and arranged to deect the pile of said covering transversely to the direction of travel of said-elements, and a second series of rigid Aagitating elements circumferentially spaced from said lirst mentioned series adapted to simultaneously contact said covering and arranged to deflect the pile of said covering in the opposite direction.

7. A suction cleaner rotary agitator including a body, rigid surface-contactingbeating means positioned on said body, and surface-contacting pile-flexing means on said body, characterized by the fact that said last-mentioned means is provided with a smooth surface-contacting side whose slope is such that the pile of the surface covering undergoing cleaning is deflected parallel to the axis of rotation of said agitator to a greater extent than it is deflected perpendicular to that axis.

/8. A suction cleaner rotary agitator including a body and a plurality of surfacecontacting pile-lexin means on said body having a smooth sur ace adapted to wedge through the pile of a surface covering undergoing cleaning, one of said means being so arranged on said bodythat the pile of a surface covering undergoing cleaning is detlected to a greater extent parallel to the axis of rotation than it is deflected perpendicular thereto, and another of said means being arranged to similarly deflect the pile but in the opposite direction along the agitator axis.

9. A suction cleaner agitator including a body, means on said bod to deflect the pile l of a surface covering un ergoing cleaning in a direction whose component perpendicular t o the axis of rotation of the agitator is greater than its component parallel thereto, means on said body to deflect the pile in, a direction having a greater component parallel to said axis than that of`l the .first-mentioned direction,` and means on said body to deflect the pile in a direction having a greater component parallel to said axis than said first-mentioned direction and which is opposite to the component of said second-mentioned direction.

l0. A suction cleaner rotary agitator as set forth in claim 9 characterized by the fact that said means are circumferentially spaced on said agitator body.

Signed at North Canton, Stark and State of Ohio, October, A. D. 1929.

' CHARLES L. SHANK.

in the county of this 29th day of 

